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Congo Bongo
|genre = Platformer |modes = Up to 2 players, alternating turns |cabinet = Upright |arcade system = Z80 CPU @ 3.072 MHz Z80 CPU @ 2 MHz SN76489 audio @ 4 MHz |display = Raster, standard resolution (Used: 256 x 224 / Vertical) Palette Colors 256 | platforms = Arcade, Apple II, Atari 2600, Atari 5200, Atari 8-bit, C64, ColecoVision, Intellivision, MSX, PC booter, SG-1000, TI-99/4A, VIC-20 }} , also known as , is an isometric platform arcade game released by Sega in 1983. The player takes the role of a red-nosed safari hunter who tries to catch an ape named Bongo. The hunter seeks Bongo to exact revenge for an apparent practical joke in which Bongo set fire to the hunter's tent, giving him a literal "hot foot." The game was named by Peter W. Gorrie who was the CFO of Sega at that time. The game's ROM contains a message indicating it was likely coded at least in part by the company Ikegami Tsushinki.Ikegami Tsushinkiドンキーコング裁判についてちょこっと考えてみる Thinking a bit about Donkey Kong, accessed 2009-02-01 , , , 2005, . Gameplay ''Congo Bongo's gameplay is similar to that of Donkey Kong and Frogger, but levels are viewed in an isometric perspective, or oblique perspective in some ports. The protagonist has no offensive abilities and must move or jump to avoid enemies and obstacles to complete a level. In the first level, the player must avoid coconuts thrown by Bongo and climb up a series of cliffs to reach him, while at the same time shaking off monkeys that try to throw the hunter off the mountain. In the second, the player crosses a swamp by riding on the backs of swimming hippopotamuses and dodging snakes and scorpions. The third level requires the player to cross a plain and duck into holes to avoid charging rhinoceroses, while the fourth involves a second swamp crossing on lily pads, fish, and hippos. If the player completes all four levels, the hunter gives the sleeping Bongo a hot foot in retaliation for the prank Bongo played on him, and the game begins again with increased difficulty. Ports thumb|right|Atari 2600 version Despite being a commercial failure when it was initially released,According to "Video Games Go Crunch!" in TIME magazine October 17, 1983 issue, Congo Bongo was a commercial failure initially. Congo Bongo was ported to nearly every major gaming platform of the day, including SG-1000, MSX, Intellivision,Intellivision Rarity Guide ColecoVision, Commodore 64 (twice - first to cartridge, later to disk), IBM PC, Atari 2600, Atari 5200, Atari 8-bit family and the Texas Instruments TI-99/4A. Sega's ports for the Atari 2600, 5200, 8-bits and the Commodore 64 (cartridge version) featured only two of the four levels from the arcade original, while the ColecoVision release is missing the level "Snake Lake." The Intellivision port features all 4 of the game's original levels. Reception Ahoy! in 1984 stated that Congo Bongo for the Commodore 64 and VIC-20 "is fraught with problems; gameplay is repetitive, frustrating, tedious, inconsistent, and at times confusing, and the music not only got on my nerves but stomped on them. Plus, the whole thing is derivative". In 1984 ST. Game readers named the game the worst Atari program of 1983, even worse than the notorious E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial. Legacy An emulated version of the original arcade release is featured as an unlockable in the PlayStation Portable version of the Sega Genesis Collection (Sega Mega Drive Collection in PAL regions). This version was also featured in Sonic's Ultimate Genesis Collection (Sega Mega Drive Ultimate Collection in PAL regions) for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. An enhanced remake was released for the PlayStation 2 under the Sega Ages label as a part of the Sega Ages 2500 Series Vol. 23: Sega Memorial Selection. References External links * * *''Congo Bongo'' at Phosphor Dot Fossils Category:1983 video games Category:Apple II games Category:Arcade games Category:Atari 2600 games Category:Atari 5200 games Category:Atari 8-bit family games Category:Cancelled ZX Spectrum games Category:ColecoVision games Category:Commodore 64 games Category:Commodore VIC-20 games Category:DOS games Category:Intellivision games Category:MSX games Category:Platform games Category:Sega arcade games Category:Sega video games Category:SG-1000 games Category:Texas Instruments TI-99/4A games Category:Video games developed in Japan Category:Video games with isometric graphics Category:Video games with oblique graphics